The Wogs are Dumb, but Happy

Well, so says Matthew Yglesias, wondering why the Iraqis don't hate their new government, since (in his view) they have "no particularly good reason" to feel good. But, they're happy, so the dumb masses can go on.

It's amazing how self-described champions of the little guy have such general contempt for them. Its much like the regular, 'clever' articles about 'Red State' America that points out that they benefit from Government Program X or Government Largess Y, yet vote against the people who promise more of X or Y. The articles then sneer at the ignorant rubes in flyover country who vote against their 'class interests'.

Applying just a few moments thought to the Iraqi question, one could see that perhaps since the new provisional gov't has the structure of the proposed final government, and Americans are known for their belief in following the installed system (as well as Bush's pigheadedness stubbornness in seeing the new system installed) and therefore this government is more than likely going to happen, and thus a sign that things may get better in the future? Even in the US, presidents get a "honeymoon" from the voters even after contentious elections, and there's every reason to believe the same thing may obtain in Iraq. The fact that the new interim government-to-be is also more streamlined and broadly representative of regional/ethnic divisions may also have something to do with it. Further, nobody likes stooges, which is what the old council was, to be honest. If the new gov't engages in stoogery, I imagine they'll become as unpopular as the previous.

But see, Matt? It wasn't that hard to give the Iraqis a little credit and come up with a reasonable explanation that doesn't depend on a shrug and a sneer. Who knows what extended rumination might bring?

I think most of the critiques of Red State America you refer to are actually pointing out their hypocrisy, in living on the federal teat, from military bases and procurement--and yet decrying the blue state underclass for living on "welfare." It's part of a more general critique of the GOP, at least as friendly to crony capitalism as the Democrats, for using Horatio Alger rhetoric about "rugged individualism." For example, consider the ludicrousness of Bush and Cheney, the beneficiaries respectively of stadium socialism and of Halliburton KBR's crony capitalism, bloviating that "the government never made anybody rich."

So, the old IGC were stooges and were disapproved for it. The new IG is the same stooges switching chairs. Why would people approve? The new leaders that they trust are the old leaders that they didn't trust. And while people give US governments a honeymoon period after a divisive election, there was no election here.

Here's one possibility. A whole lot of people didn't know much at all about the IGC except that they were stooges. And maybe they've heard a few speeches from the new President and Prime minister, and they sound good. Somebody you've heard of will seem better than a bunch of faceless nameless people you haven't heard of. So approval will be up.

But notice
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/ArticleNews/TPStory/LAC/20040626/IRAQ26/TPInternational/TopStories
'As much as Mr. al-Dulame treasures the democratic process, he admits that "Frankly, most Iraqis don't care about the government at all right now."

The pollster's latest study, to be released next week, shows that 35 per cent of Iraqis don't even know they have a new prime minister or a new president.'